The Oasis On The Esplanade

This family-run waterfront cafe sits at 163 Redcliffe Parade, directly opposite the Redcliffe Jetty between Cactus Jack's and Banjo's Bakery, with the bay and Moreton Island straight out front. Husband and wife team Steve and Zokki have run it since 2016, and in 2020 they opened the Zokki.B Gallery and Studio above the dining room. Dogs are welcome at the alfresco tables on the footpath, which makes it an easy stop on an esplanade walk.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed in the outdoor seating area at the front of the cafe, on lead and settled beside your table. Staff are known to bring water bowls, though it is worth carrying your own when the cafe is busy. The footpath tables face the water, so a dog that is happy to lie under a table and watch the world go by will do well here; inside the cafe and upstairs gallery are for humans only.

Pepsi: Eggs benedict, a dog under the table and the jetty across the road. Get here before eight on a weekend or the parking decides for you.

The food

The all-day breakfast and lunch menus run from a classic eggs benedict on Turkish toast with hollandaise to an avocado stack, pesto scrambled eggs and banana bread, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options across the board. Serves are generous and the presentation gets regular praise. Hours are Monday to Friday 6:30am to 2:45pm and Saturday and Sunday 6:30am to 2:15pm.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Redcliffe Parade and the side streets, with public parking bays along the esplanade nearby. It fills on weekends, which is the one planning note that matters: weekday mornings are calmest, and weekends reward an early arrival.

Nearby with the dogs

The Redcliffe Jetty and the seawall esplanade walk are out the front door for a post-breakfast stroll, and Bee Gees Way is a short walk away. For a proper run, Queens Beach North dog off-leash area at Scarborough allows dogs off lead on the sand and water between the access stairs and the northern rock groyne, on lead everywhere else. Kroll Gardens Fenced Dog Park in Clontarf is a five hectare fully fenced option with agility gear, and Lady Latte is the other peninsula cafe worth pairing.

More Redcliffe peninsula stops are on the Redcliffe destination page and in the QLD cafes index.